Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-02-01
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Sub Jet Of DiscuasIon II the PresbyteFian
II S.bEaxels Last NTkbf- -
k6ks edIlbw i6si il IA exlrae III ne sub
iect discupna at the prayer nsekung in
the PEsehEfeFianC hupeh slx pfeAtl in
w1sish 8lS p2sAor sid -
: mSnmeyofthe mncients had very LOW con
c&4tioSs Df kheS9ul. Sorhs belisxesl that
ID ras the blood which fioualtbrough our
veins, Some thought It was the air We
\ breathe, Some though IL was the fire
thdt gave warmth TO- our bodies. Some
of our own day, whose views are q little
more refined, would teach US thatiE is a
subtle material like tight. or electricity,
0r heat. Such thoughts about the soul
'demhHsttAte the fact that some schools of
/ thought on some subjects. have not made
much progress IN centuries Of the use Of
shefr intellectual powers. If matter even
I'D its stibtlest form could think, feel, and
viii, then We might entertain the thought
that the soul was material but since 1t
cannot, and since we can give as a reason
why we know that we have souls, be
cause we can think about God and the
world to come" we accept the declara
ton, that God brcathed into mans mos
trils the breath of life; and man became
living soul" We feel that the soul is
spirit, the breath of God, and that when
death comes there is q separation of body
and soul, the body decaying in the grave,
and the soul going to God who gave it.
We feel too, that the soul does not fall
into decay like the body. Time, and sor
row, and violence do not impair the ex-
istence OF the soul Men may "kill the
body" but they cannot kill the soul. !"
The soul survives all the shocks of time.
Nor will 1t decay in passing through
the experience of the external world. 1t
will never grow old amid the enjoyments
of heaven. twill never wear out under
the experiences of the lost world. It will
survive the pleasures of one, or the sor-
rows of the other. That is one element
Of its worth. The most durable things
here are the most valuable. If the dia-
mond lost its lustre and fell to pieces in a
few years, 1t would not be worth much
If gold were soft like lead and wore away
by use, il would soon lose its value. The
enduring character of the soul gives it
value. If ii were like the body, or many
other things of perishable character, it
would lose much of its worth. But ii
has never ending existence. Hence we
are prompted to ask in the language of
the scripture "For what is man pro-
fitted, if he shall gain the whole world and
lose his own soul 7 or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul -
Because of its exceeding great value, it
took price above what earth could raise
to ransom 1t. If the soul were poor,
cheap thing, man or an angel might
redeem it The price that was paid in
the sacrifice offered by Christ, shows its
value. Would the Lord of light and
glory leave heaven to do a work that
another could perform God always, in
every department of His works, adapts
the means to the ends. If human power
can accomplished work that is to be
done, lie does not intervene with infinite
power. When see, therefore. a sacri-
fee of infinite worth, judge that the
soul must be of great worth.
Since il is so valuable, we feel that it is
worth saving. And when we get, by the
aid of Gods Holy Spirit. even a partial
view of its worth, we ask, what must
do to be saved p Then the response
comes, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved The apostle
speaks of them that believe to the saw
ing of the soul.
Then too, the christian feels that 1t Is
of the greatest importance that he should
do what he can to bring souls to Christ,
TO aid them in their efforts to believe. He
feels that che that winneth souls is wise. +"